Playing Out Activation Session

Apply for a temporary street closure so children can play out safely

From the 12th April, people living in Wolverhampton will be able to apply for a temporary street closure for Playing Out activities.

To support this, Wolverhampton for Everyone is organising a free Playing Out Activation session which will help you to arrange your own Playing Out activities in your street. It will take place online on Thursday 15th April 11:00 a.m. — 12:30 p.m.

You can book your free place here.

Read on to find out:

· What Playing Out is

· Why play is so important for children, particularly at this time

· How you can apply for a street closure

· What help and support is available to you to make Playing Out a reality in your road.

What is Playing Out?

Playing Out is a movement established by two parents in Bristol who were concerned about the lack of freedom that their children had to play safely with their friends close to home. They developed a model where a street could be closed to traffic for a couple of hours so that children could simply play, supporting their health, happiness and well-being.

The idea was so successful that it rapidly spread across the UK and the rest of the world.

Play is a fundamental right for children under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but increasingly children’s right to play has been undermined by safety concerns, as our streets are increasingly dominated by traffic.

The street is an ideal environment to play in — many children can’t easily access parks, whereas the street is instantly accessible, giving children the space they need for energetic play.

But playing out isn’t just good for children, it can increase our sense of community, bringing neighbours of all ages together and creating increased opportunities for us all to socialise. It also encourages mixing between children of all ages and across generations.

The ability to play independently outside can be an important first step for children who might then go onto visiting friends independently, walking to school or to local amenities such as the park.

Streets make up the vast majority of public space in the city, but all too frequently they are dominated by traffic and we don’t have the opportunity to use them to sit, walk, talk and connect with each other. Playing Out offers an opportunity to begin to use our streets differently to benefit the people that live there.

Why play is important during the pandemic

The UK went into lockdown in March 2020 and the nation has been under various restrictions since then. This has had a detrimental effect on many people, but children have particularly suffered during this time. Schools have been closed, children have not been able to see their friends and many children have spent much of the time indoors. This has taken a toll on children’s physical and mental health. Experts and academics have called for children’s play to be prioritised as we begin to move out of lockdown.

Four simple steps to organising a Playing Out activity

The first step in organising your Playing Out activity is chatting to your neighbours. This will help you understand what support there is for the idea as well as any issues or concerns. It is important that everyone on the street feels that they have been informed and consulted. We have some templates to help with this.

Once you know that you have enough support from your neighbours, you can apply for your road closure with the council. Remember that you’ll need to give at least six weeks’ notice. Once you have permission, you’ll need to tell everyone what’s happening and invite them to come along. You’ll need to let people know the rules for vehicle movement — don’t worry, we have some handy templates you can use — and also make sure that you have enough people on hand for the whole thing to run safely e.g. supervising traffic movement. We can help you with a simple risk assessment.

The fourth step is, of course, the Playing Out activity itself. As long as the stewards have been briefed and your event is stewarded safely, the rest will run itself. There is no need to put on any special activities or provide equipment. Children will bring their own toys and they know how to play. We can provide some of the basics like chalk and skipping ropes. All that’s left is for everyone to have a fantastic time.

How to apply for a street closure

The City of Wolverhampton Council has a simple process for applying for a street closure for Playing Out activities. You can apply to close your street for between one and three hours and you can choose between a one-off street closure or a recurring one.

You will need to apply for your temporary street closure at least 6 weeks in advance of the planned closure.

The Council will bring road barriers along on the day, so you won’t need to worry about that.

So join with us on the 15th April to make Playing Out a reality across the City.